A winding side street that links hectic Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, Hanway Street, with its odd mix of old-style Spanish flamenco bars and second-hand vinyl stores, is a bit of an anomaly. I’ll be surprised if they all withstand the Tottenham Court Road redevelopment but I hope they do.

Leila McAlister's grocery shop and café off Arnold Circus, Shoreditch. You can find the best of everything, from jars of horseradish to eggs and croissants.

You could call me biased, given this is the 3rd Highbury restaurant in my list, but if you're doing so then you've clearly never tried the Biang Biang Noodles at this unassuming little BYOB gem

Great beer selection, good food, and the big screen in their beer garden makes the Abbey Tavern my favourite place in London to watch sport

Quick, easy, cheap thai food. It's fairly new to me, but easily makes this list.